Given that Peter Schmeichel made over 350 appearances for Manchester United - winning a total of 16 trophies, including five top-flight titles - it was always going to be difficult to replace the dominant shot-stopper. The Dane, who even scored for the Reds during his time at Old Trafford, is widely regarded as the greatest goalkeeper in Premier League history - which is probably why United's first attempt to replace him didn't quite go to plan.
Known for his intimidating physique, which included specially made size XXXL shirts, Schmeichel was feared by strikers throughout his career. He won a host of individual accolades and ended his United career on the highest note - with the club winning the Treble in his final campaign.
It was far from plain sailing, though, with the goalkeeper being 'sacked' by Sir Alex Ferguson following a row in January 1994. However, after making an improvised apology to the other first-team players - which Ferguson had heard - he was allowed to remain at Old Trafford. The rest, of course, is history.
ALSO READ: Erik ten Hag has just been given the perfect boost to achieve Man United goal in first season
When Schmeichel did depart, United had the difficult task of replacing him. The Reds went through several high-profile goalkeepers, including Massimo Taibi, Fabien Barthez, Tim Howard, Roy Carroll and Mark Bosnich - the latter of whom was the club's first attempt at filling the void left by the big Dane.
Bosnich had actually played three times for United earlier in his career but had to leave Old Trafford as he was unable to secure a work permit. When the Australian returned at the end of the 1990s - on a free transfer from Aston Villa - he was expected to do the impossible and replace Schmeichel.
It was always going to be difficult, for both the goalkeeper and United, but Bosnich's time at the club couldn't really have gone much worse, and it certainly didn't go to plan.
The Australian spent a season-and-a-half with the Reds, before leaving for Chelsea in January 2001. He only played on 35 occasions and didn't feature at all in his second season with the club. Things weren't all bad, though, as he did pick up a Premier League winner's medal and an Intercontinental Cup trophy.
His career with United was short and, ultimately, unsuccessful. Yet, the fallout following his departure was never expected. He had failed to replace the seemingly irreplaceable, but better goalkeepers than him would go on to do exactly the same in the years that followed.
So, when Ferguson would later claim that he tried to pull out of the deal to sign Bosnich - and that the goalkeeper was 'a terrible professional' - people were understandably shocked.
"Mark Bosnich was, in my opinion, a terrible professional, which we should have known," Ferguson wrote in his second autobiography. "The Bosnich buy stemmed from Peter Schmeichel announcing in the autumn of his final season that he would be retiring, which caught us on the hop. We jumped into decisions.
"We met Bosnich in January, despite reports filtering through to us about his conduct off the pitch. I sent someone down to watch him in training. He was doing nothing in the sessions that convinced me he was the right man for Manchester United."
The Scotsman admitted that he had attempted to sign Edwin van der Sar from Ajax to replace Schmeichel, but that Martin Edwards had already agreed on a deal with Bosnich. Van der Sar, meanwhile, would join Juventus that same summer.
Ferguson continued: "I changed tack and went for Edwin van der Sar instead, spoke to his agent and then to Martin Edwards, who told me, 'Alex, I'm sorry, I've shaken hands with Bosnich.' That was a blow. Martin had shaken Mark's hand and would not go back on his word, which I respect. But it was a bad piece of business."
While Bosnich was not the goalkeeper United actually wanted, he was the one that they ended up with. Ferguson, keen to continue his dominance at the top level, insisted that he, his coaches and the players all pushed the Australian to reach higher standards in his first season.
They were, ultimately, unsuccessful. It just hadn't worked.
"Bosnich was a problem. His training and fitness levels were below what we needed," Ferguson said. "We pushed him to a higher tier and felt we did quite well with him. He was terrific in our victory over Palmeiras in the Intercontinental Cup, in which he ought to have been man of the match, ahead of Giggs.
"Not much later, we played down at Wimbledon in February, and Bosnich was tucking into everything: sandwiches, soups, steaks. He was going through the menu, eating like a horse. I told him, 'for Christ’s sake, Mark, we've got the weight off you, why are you tucking into all that stuff?'
"'I'm starving, gaffer,' he said. "We arrived back in Manchester, and Mark was on a mobile phone to a Chinese restaurant to order a takeaway. 'Is there no end to you?' I asked him. 'Think what you're doing.' I just couldn't make an impact on him."
With Bosnich having returned to his homeland following a stint with Chelsea, a visit to Australia for the Melbourne Cup shortly after Ferguson's autobiography was released could have led to an interesting reception from the player for the Scot.
Speaking in 2013, the Australian stated that he would've confronted Ferguson to challenge his former boss over his assessment of the shot-stopper's second spell at Old Trafford if they'd come face-to-face.
"I'll definitely go down there if he is there and ask to see him," Bosnich told talkSport. "I'm going to tell him straight to his face and I'll ask him to repeat [his criticism] and then I will tell him exactly what I want to say and you guys can all read about it, like you read his book.
"Sir Alex is entitled to his versions of events, as I will be entitled to my right to reply at the appropriate time."
Bosnich added in his column on Fox Sports: "He referenced a period of my career when I returned to training overweight. That's true. I usually returned two kilos overweight and on this occasion, I was two-and-a-half."
The Australian would later claim that Ferguson's account of his time with United was a 'lie'. He argued that it was unfair, while also criticising the legendary manager for holding a grudge.
"It wasn’t unfair – it was just a lie," Bosnich told Four Four Two in 2019. "He's always said that he doesn't bear any grudges, but obviously he does. But he can say that because he knows what happened afterwards, with the drugs and so on – he's got good evidence to back himself up. At that time, though, it was a lie. Alex Ferguson signed me twice.
"I wouldn’t be talking to you now about my career unless he had taken a chance on me originally. Yes, we had a falling out, but these things happen. He was a great manager to play under."
While Bosnich, understandably, hoped to be the long-term replacement for Schmeichel, Roy Keane suggested that it was clear from day one that the Australian was not going to be a success at Old Trafford.
The pair played together on 32 occasions, but Keane, in typical fashion, didn't hold back when it came to discussing his former teammate's time in Manchester.
"Bosnich was a likeable character. You could write a book about him. A gifted keeper, Bosy didn't exactly seem the most dedicated pro," Keane said in his first autobiography. "He arrived an hour late for training on his first day. The manager was away somewhere. When Bosy strolled out around 11 o'clock, I asked him where he'd been.
"'I got lost on the way from the hotel,' he smirked. He was a bit of a smirker. 'Got f****** lost?' I sneered. 'Yes, mate,' said Bosy. 'Your first f****** day at Manchester United and you turn up an hour late for f****** training?' I said."
The Irishman added: "The little things matter, usually betraying an attitude to the job. In this instance, the signs were telling. I gave him a b******ing to wake him up, to let him know what was expected of a Manchester United player."
In 2002, Bosnich failed a drug test. The goalkeeper was banned from football for nine months and sacked by Chelsea. Bosnich said that his drink had been spiked, but other than making a brief comeback in the A-League in 2008, he never played professional football again.
United, meanwhile, went on to eventually find their Schmeichel replacement - and it was the player that Ferguson wanted in the first place. Dutch shot-stopper Van der Sar signed for the Reds in 2005, and he went on to help the club win four Premier League titles, two EFL Cups and the Champions League, making 266 appearances.
Fittingly, Ferguson considers Van der Sar the best goalkeeper to have played for the club since Schmeichel.
READ NEXT:
